The swish inspired by the Nike “swoosh” has been a visual element used in logos for about 20 years now, and it seems it has finally seen its day. Make way for the rise of the “happy and friendly” smile!

And then a frown can turn it upside down.

What happens when we turn that smile upside down? We get a symbolic frown with an underlying subliminal message just the opposite of “happy and friendly”. When using an arc consider the intended meaning. Most often it is best to keep the upturn smiling. Just as in how we prefer seeing a graph travel an upward trend, even when the meaning is negative. Once again, perception and how we synthesize information is our ally.

Happy, fun, vibrant, fresh, friendly….

Another common visual element is the use of vibrant, bright colors representing youthful, happy and fun. The more vibrant color palettes easily help the brand visual stand out.

Color blends lend a unique variety of color yielding a distinctive look. Some of these logos were obviously meant to be used in full color only and will just not visually translate without the full array.

Often, it can be the most subtle visual elements that change an intended meaning.